How To Wander With Purpose

how to wander with purpose

paulisakson.com

@paulisakson

passion&

frustration

“Everyone has a plan ’till they get punched in the mouth.”

-Mike Tyson

things change too quickly now to have long-term plans.

we have little, to no control over what happens next.

we have no idea what new piece of technology might launch that could change everything.

it’s better to have a bigger purpose and some firm beliefs to guide you, than it is to have a plan.

my purpose & beliefs:

1) make things better2) do Good3) work hard

"I don’t have this huge, overarching plan. I don’t know what I’m gonna wake up and feel like doing tomorrow, let alone five years down the line. I think that’s enabled me to get to where I am. I certainly go after what I want. But I just have detached amusement about a lot of it. Because it’s silly. This job is ridiculous." - Jon Hamm

Jon Hamm: The Last Alpha Male, Details Magazine, October 2010

If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you wouldn’t cry at the end when he drove off the lot, testing the windshield wipers. You wouldn’t tell your friends you saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a record on and think about the story you’d seen. The truth is, you wouldn’t remember that movie a week later, except you’d feel robbed and want your money back. Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo.

A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, Donald Miller, 2009

a story is a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it.


a great story is when the character’s ambition is selfless and the conflict is immense.


most of our stories right now are crap.

the good news is that we can write better stories.

looking at life as a story...

a character is what a character does.


start small.


start saying yes more.


embrace conflict.

the greater the conflict, the greater the story.


create an inciting incident.

Storyline Conference, Donald Miller, September 2010 : www.thestorylineconference.com

http://www.thestorylineconference.com


where you do what you do matters a lot.




do something to move your story forward every day.




cut out the things that don’t move your story forward.




decide to be awesome, no matter what happens.




at any given time, we can have up to four or five stories running in our lives.




my stories:

1. live life fully

2. make things better

3. help end hunger in Minnesota

4. write a book

5. learn to cook amazing meals

creating better personal stories

what kind of stories do you want to tell or join?

a love story?

an adventure story?

a story about overcoming adversity?

something else?




what kind of stories do you want to tell or join?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

for each story

what do you want?

or...

what is the primary ambition of your story?




what is the elevator pitch of your story?




what will the final scenes look like?




what conflict(s) are standing in your way to doing that?




what can you do to start fighting it/them?




who can help you fight it/them?




how, and with whom, will you celebrate your story being told once completed?




paulisakson.com

@paulisakson

How To Wander With Purpose

Self Improvement

Transcript of How To Wander With Purpose